As the sun set and shadows crept across Lake Township Field, tension in the stands grew more intense by the minute.

Up to this point, nearly 200 fans had been treated to an unforgettable evening of Little League baseball. Now, the fate of Lake Ariel’s entire season came down to one at-bat.

Lake Equestrian Center and Doyle Construction had fought a pitched battle through five electrifying innings. The Yankees and Mets traded leads all game long and headed for the bottom of the sixth in a 10-10 stalemate.

The Mets’ Anthony Busillo stood on the mound facing Colin Howe of the Yankees. Devon Williams, who represented the game-winning run, danced off second base.

With fans on both sides of the diamond yelling themselves hoarse, Busillo deliver-ed and Howe connected. Doyle Construction’s two-hole hitter laced a line drive just inside the first base bag.

The ball rolled all the way to the rightfield corner.

Williams got a bit of a slow start at second, but shifted into high gear as third base coach Alex Howe waved him around. Devon arrived at the plate just ahead of the relay throw, giving the Yankees an electrifying comeback victory.

The win brought with it a season sweep of the series and the 2008 Major League play-off championship.

“What an unbelievable game!” exclaimed Lake Ariel Little League President John Ruby. “I mean, you couldn’t possibly ask for anything more. The whole season came down to the bottom of the sixth in the championship game. That’s just amazing.”

Doyle Construction has now won the past three league titles. The Yankees finished up their ‘08 campaign with 11 wins against two defeats. Ironically, both of those losses came to the runner-up Mets.

“That’s what you always hope for from the beginning of the season,” Ruby told TWI Sports. “You want the two best teams to play for the championship and that’s what happened this year. The Yankees and Mets are about as evenly-matched as you can get. They both had great seasons.”

Slow Start
Ben Dyer drew the starting nod for Doyle Construction in Thursday’s title tilt.

A big, hard-throwing righty, Dyer struck out the side in the top of the first. Ben actually fanned seven Mets in the opening two frames because one batter reached base when a third strike eluded his catcher.

Brian Gagliardi was almost as impressive for Lake Equestrian Center.

A wily righthander who is the ace of the Mets’ staff, Gagliardi whiffed three in the home half of the first, but then ran into trouble. The Yankees broke the scoring ice in the second, plating a pair of runners for an early advantage.

Matt Phillips got things going with a lead-off single. Moments later, he was standing on third after a pair of stolen bases. Phillips scored the first run of the night courtesy of Ryan Gisinger’s RBI single up the middle.

Later in the inning, Gisinger was caught in a rundown between third and home.
After a breathless minute of throws back & forth, it appeared as though he was tagged for the final out of the frame. However, umpire Jesse Parry correctly ruled Ryan had been interfered with by Mets’ catcher Anthony Busillo.

Gisinger was awarded home and the Yankees led 2-0.

“Jesse Parry does a great job for us,” said John Ruby of his most reliable official. “He umps a game almost every day of the week. I really appreciate all the hard work he puts in and I know the kids and coaches do, too.”

Lake Equestrian Center didn’t waste any time retaliating. The Mets rallied to score a pair of runs in the top of the third, thus tying the game right back up.

After two innings of nearly flawless work, Dyer lost his magic touch in the third. Ben walked the first two batters he faced and was hooked in favor of Phillips. Despite this pitching change, the Mets still eked out two runs. McKenzie Mountain scored on an infield single by Mike Galgano. Busillo sprinted home on a wild pitch and tallied in a cloud of dust.

Doyle Construction surged back in front in the bottom half of the frame. Bond reached on a fielder’s choice and eventually scurried home on Howe’s RBI single to rightfield.

Runs Galore
Both teams gave the fans their money’s worth in the fourth. The Mets and Yankees combined to put up 11 runs in the inning, setting the stage for a wild finish.

Busillo led the Lake Equestrian Center uprising. Anthony, who pitched and caught the entire contest, slapped a two-run single. He would enjoy a 2-for-3 day at the dish with three runs scored and three RBIs.

Justin Gisinger highlighted the Doyle Construction rally. The Yankees’ #9 hitter found himself behind in the count 0-2 with two down. Gisinger dug down deep and lined a two-run single to center.

Bond & Howe provided a potent 1-2 punch for Doyle Construction on this day. Nathan went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and a pair of RBIs. Colin ripped a pair of crucial hits, tallied twice and drove in three.

Hunter Harrison also came through in the clutch. The young Yankees’ slugger struck out in his first two at-bats, but then launched an RBI double to the power alley in left center.

Williams reached base in all three of his plate appearances. Devon walked in the third, fifth and sixth, eventually scoring the game-winning run.

Dyer, Phillips and Bond each took a turn on the hill for the victorious Yankees. Nathan would eventually earn the win after working the final two frames.

Gagliardi and Busillo split the pitching chores for Lake Equestrian Center. Brian used up his allotment of 75 pitches and left with one out in the fourth. Anthony went the rest of the way and absorbed the loss.

Score by Innings...
Mets     0  0  2  5  0  3 - 10
Yanks  0  2  1  6  1  1 - 11